by Chris Collins

      Once again, students at Jacksonville Christian Academy scored higher than the national average on the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT). This was especially true in the Elementary classes which use the ABeka curriculum. For several years now, JCA has been in transition from ACE (which uses self-paced units) to ABeka (traditional classroom instruction). As that transformation has occurred, student performance has increased.

      While the increase in performance has not been seen in every student or every class, there is one statistic which stands out: Every child in every class using ABeka last year scored at or above the National Average. As the chart below indicates, only one class (9^th) out of the seven using ACE last year had no students who performed below average.

      The gold section of the chart represents the percentage of students in each class who scored above average on the Core Battery of tests. This percentage drops from about half of all students in Kindergarten and 1^st grade (an extremely high percentage) to an expected level of about 20% for grades 2-9. No students scored above average in grades 10-12. Likewise, the percentage of students scoring below average is 0 for grades K through 5th, with that number increasing to around 20% for grades 6-12. A normal distribution of students across the nation is 20% below average, 60% average and 20% above average.

      The increase in test scores was particularly impressive considering that the ‘03-’04 version of the test was new and scores across the nation fell, on average. Of particular interest is the performance of students who have attended JCA for at least 3 years. While the average grade level of all JCA students was approximately 1/2 month ahead of the national average (statistically insignificant), the average for students who have attended JCA at least three years was four months above average. This difference would seem to indicate that while some students are academically behind when they come to JCA, the "learning gap" is usually bridged within a three year period.

      The chart below displays the performance levels of JCA students in each of the four cores subject areas: English, Math, Social Studies, and Science. Social Studies and Science are not tested by the Stanford-9 until 3^rd grade. In 2003-2004, all classes from K-4 through 5^th Grade utilized ABeka. This year, ABeka has been adopted by the 6^th Grade (along with Math and English in 7^th and 8^th Grades and most subjects in Math, Science, and History in grades 9-12). Next year, the high school is considering teaching English using the ABeka or Bob Jones University format, as well.

      JCA students will take the 2005 Stanford-9 test on March 22^nd-24^th. Final scores are usually received in 8-10 weeks. Scores for classes and subjects will be published online shortly after. Parents interested in their own student’s scores should contact the school directly at 347-2358 or come by the office to receive a copy.